Trapped Inside The Chase
by Jenn1984
Summary: Another case closes too neatly and Shawn takes it upon himself to figure out the messy truth. What he doesn't realize is just how messy-or how bloody-the truth will be.  -Not Shules-.
1. Chapter 1

The fic otherwise known as, "Mountain Man."

It's finally done, after three years. I can hardly believe it. This wouldn't have been finished without the help of many of you, and you know who you are. Special thanks to Drag for her intense and awesome notes, and to Lu for the constant beta on this thing for three years running.

I hope you all enjoy this. It's completely finished and I'll be posting every few days. It's six chapters in length, so you won't have to wait too long.

Disclaimer: I do not own Psych.

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Pain erupted in his side when he slipped, feet giving out beneath his body as he crashed hard into a broken, fallen down tree. The rough bark rubbed against his already torn and bloody skin and he squeezed his eyes shut, biting his bottom lip to stifle a harsh curse. Darkness loomed overhead with small beams of moonlight drifting through the tree branches, littering the damp ground and making the soft earth look so inviting, he thought. If only he could lie down for a few minutes, God, just a _few_ minutes.

"Shawn!"

He looked up when he heard his name and was met with a pair of concerned blue eyes that matched the frantic sound of Juliet's voice. She looked just as tired, dirty and broken as he did, but he pushed those memories away for now, storing them, praying for once he could forget.

Right now he had to get back up.

**-ooo-**

"I don't have time for this, Shawn!"

Shawn paced back and forth along the hallway of the Santa Barbara Police Department, arguing with Gus, his best friend and business partner.

"They caught the guy, the evidence was right on his hand!" Gus said in a low but fierce tone.

"The guy's innocent, Gus!" Shawn cried. "Sure, he may _look_ like a lunatic serial killer with the dirty, smelly clothes, scraggly long beard and rotten teeth that look like they haven't seen a toothbrush since Jodie Foster won best actress for her role in _The Accused." _He looked up, thoughtful. "Though I stand by my conspiracy theory and still think Melanie Griffith was robbed that year-"

"Shawn!"

"The point is," he continued, finally turning to look his friend in the eye, "this guy isn't smart enough to pull off these murders. Did you see the look on his face? Genuine surprise, Gus. He was telling the truth."

Gus rolled his eyes. "You're not a real psychic!" he hissed, to which Shawn placed a hand over his heart, feigning outrage.

"I'm offended, Gus! My own best friend." Gus rolled his eyes again and Shawn added hotly, "Dude, is something wrong with your eyes? They look like they're about to fall off your face."

"What is going on with you two?"

Shawn turned around and plastered his most sincere smile when Juliet came up behind them.

"Jules! We were just talking about you!" he lied, rocking back and forth on his feet. Juliet raised an eyebrow.

"You were?"

Before Shawn could continue, Gus interrupted. "Shawn thinks Grizzly Adams is innocent."

_"Gus!"_

A soft chuckle escaped Juliet's lips as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh yeah? The man was wearing evidence, Shawn. A case doesn't get more open and shut than that."

Shawn sighed. "There's more to it, Jules." He placed his fingers to his temples. "I can't..._quite_ make it out yet, but there's something you've overlooked."

"We searched every inch of that crime scene and all the evidence leads to Dorland. The hikers were found on the path next to his property with a trail of blood leading to his house and he was_ wearing evidence_."

Everything Juliet explained was information Shawn already knew. He had been put on the missing hikers' cases when the first body had been found. He had been the one to lead the police to Dorland's house after finding a blood trail that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. He was also the one to spot Dorland wearing the latest victim's class ring, complete with a few drops of the victim's blood dried onto the stone, which was _another_ piece of evidence that would have gone unnoticed if Shawn hadn't remembered the victim's tan line on his right ring finger. But he hadn't expected an over-sized, rough-looking Dorland to practically go into shock when the police arrested him.

And he hadn't been able to take a look at the rest of the crime scene, where the bodies had been found. The thought nagged at him.

"Yes, there's evidence, but something isn't adding up. I'm going back."

Gus had apparently heard enough. "I'm done with this, Shawn." He straightened out his tie and nodded to Juliet, then turned his attention back to his best friend. "I'm already late for a meeting. I'll see you back at the office."

"But _Gus_-" Shawn began, shortly cut off by Gus' forefinger in his face.

"No. I'm late. And don't follow me." He started towards the open front doors of the station and paused, turning. "And I'm shutting off my phone." Another pause. "And don't try calling the office either, I had all your numbers blocked."

And he walked out.

Shawn stood there until Gus was out of sight, then looked at Juliet. "Jules, I need to borrow your phone."

Juliet laughed and rolled her eyes. "Shawn," she warned.

"Juliet, I'm serious!" Shawn whined, bouncing back in front of her. "I'm going back to the crime scene. I can feel the spirits practically _pulling_ me there!" He made a jerking movement with his shoulder, inching closer towards the entrance to the station.

Juliet sighed. "Fine. If that's what it'll take to convince you then I'm coming with you."

**-ooo-**

Juliet tried to glance over Shawn's shoulder at the map he was holding. "How much further?" she asked, tired. They passed Dorland's property minutes before when Juliet realized she couldn't remember the exact location the bodies had been found in, since the trail forked right past Dorland's house. Luckily, she had a map of the area in her bag, and Shawn took it upon himself to navigate their way through the woods.

"Oh, I think we have another couple months of dancing around the issue, a few months of casual dating, a few more months of _serious_ dating-"

_"Shawn!"_

Shawn grinned. "Come on Jules, lighten up! You're starting to sound like Lassie-face."

Juliet grimaced as she stumbled for the tenth time that afternoon. "You try hiking through the woods in two inch heels and let me tell _you_ to lighten up. Now how much further?"

"Fine, fine. The bodies were found about a quarter mile from Dorland's property. We're almost-"

Shawn stopped walking and looked to his right. He noticed a few drops of blood splattered on a large rock and placed his fingers to his temple.

"Shawn? Are you getting something?" Juliet asked in quiet wonder.

Shawn didn't answer, his eyes following a trail of disturbed earth just beyond the blood drops.

"Shawn?"

Walking past the bloody rock, he knelt down and waved his hand lightly over the dirt. "These look like drag marks to you?" he asked in a low voice, glancing to the side when Juliet knelt beside him with a frown.

"Yeah, they do," she said slowly.

Shawn rose, hand held out to help Juliet to her feet. "After you, Detective," he said with a playful grin, stepping aside to let her pass. Juliet shook her head, but smiled as she headed down the dirt trail.

They walked a couple of minutes deeper into the woods before stopping near a large oak tree where the marks ended.

"Why do they stop here?" Juliet wondered aloud, taking in her surroundings. Shawn did the same, the bright sunlight making him squint. He walked around the base of the tree, stopping suddenly to stare at something.

"Jules, over here."

Juliet rounded the tree and stopped to look around. "Did you find something?"

"I think so, yeah," Shawn said, crouched next to the tree. "The dirt here." His hand hovered over the ground. "There was a struggle."

Juliet frowned. "I think you're right. Look at these, two sets of tracks. Someone was digging their heels in the mud."

Shawn's eye caught the smallest glimmer of something a few feet away, and his hand began to shake.

"The spirits, Jules!" he cried, extending his arm all the way out and lurching his body in the direction of whatever lay hidden in the dirt. "There's something here!" He let out a couple of tired breaths and turned to Juliet with raised eyebrows.

Juliet rushed over, eyes fixed on the patch of dirt Shawn was leaning over. She brushed aside some leaves and covered her mouth. "Oh God," she gasped, a metal blade stained with blood staring back at her.

"Look." Shawn pointed behind them. "Looks like when the trail forks, one of them leads this way." Juliet turned to see the trail, barely visible under all the dirt, sticks and leaves, and nodded.

"I wonder if that's the only weapon," she said, focus returning to the bloody pocket knife. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank goodness for this drought or this evidence would have been long gone by now." She took out her cell phone and held it in the air for a signal.

Shawn kept looking around their new crime scene, going back around the tree to check out the drag marks again. His mind raced back through the corner's report and his memory showed him the body, and he was certain there weren't any other weapons. "The spirits don't think there are any other weapons, Jules."

"Well I'm going to try and find a signal so we can get Carlton and CSU up here. No offense to the spirits, but I'm not taking any chances," Juliet said, wandering off in search of service.

Mind racing, Shawn began to draw the facts out inside his head; a trail that split in different directions, drag marks, a knife and a dead body. He crouched down and brushed aside some leaves to get a better look at the drag marks. The man they found had on tennis shoes, but the marks look as if they were made by a shoe with a thicker heel.

"Hey Jules, there might be more than one body somewhere," Shawn said loudly when he heard Juliet's footsteps coming back towards him, but she didn't say anything. "Did you hear me?" he tried again, this time receiving only a soft moan in reply.

"Jules?" he called in confusion, making his way back to the other side of the tree. Juliet was sprawled out in the dirt, a small amount of blood trailing down the side of her head.

"Juliet!" He crashed to his knees beside Juliet's unconscious body and, with shaking hands, lightly wiped the blood away from her eye with his thumb. "What the hell-"

The rest of his sentence was lost in the loud echo of cold metal smashing into the side of his head.

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Any thoughts you have are welcome. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Night enveloped them, the small patches of moonlight barely helpful in lighting the dark wood in their path. Leaves rustled gently in the damp air, oblivious to the danger lurking in the shadows as Shawn strained his eyes in the darkness, willing them to find any source of help, civilization, _protection_.

He glanced to his right when he heard Juliet sniffle softly. She had been crying for the past few minutes but he hadn't said anything since she was obviously trying to hide it from him. "Jules, we're gonna get out of here," he said quietly, pulling her arm, urging her limping form to keep going.

Juliet wiped her face on her sleeve and shook her head. "It's not that." She stumbled against Shawn's side and he could hear her shaky breathing. "I could have saved him."

Shawn's heart sank, flashes of blood, the sound of his screams, his pleading...

He pushed it away because he _had_ to. "There's nothing you could've done differently, Jules. Let's just focus on getting out of here."

Juliet closed her eyes briefly, nodding as she wiped a few stray hairs from her dirt-streaked face. Shawn tightened his grip on her arm and kept moving.

**-ooo-**

A quiet rumbling was the first thing that registered in his head, making his eyes water as it agitated the pounding behind them. Then the sound of soft conversation reached his ears, but he couldn't make out who was talking or what they were talking _about_. It sounded rushed, panicked. Maybe he was in a hospital, though he couldn't remember any hospital being so dark or smelling so damp and musty.

Trying to shift his body upwards was painful, especially when he moved his neck, the throbbing behind his eyes beating so loudly that all noise seemed to cease for a few moments. Unpleasant sensations tingled up his spine and in the back of his throat from the movement, so he decided he was better off just lying still.

Until he heard her voice.

"Shawn? Are you all right?"

Juliet was there, but her voice brought to him an array of mixed emotions. Shawn wasn't sure why he felt comforted knowing she was with him, or why he felt so utterly terrified for that same reason. She sounded so concerned, so worried-and there, in a flash, came a flood of memories. Crime scene, blood, her unconscious form lying on the forest floor.

"Jules!" His voice was strained as he coughed. He moved to an upright position, no matter how much his upper body protested, and finally opened his eyes.

"Hey, slow down, I'm right here," Juliet soothed, rubbing a warm hand across his forehead. Shawn blinked several times to help adjust his eyes to the dim light and focused on Juliet's face, so close to his own. He took a deep breath, inhaling the faint fruity scent of her shampoo and relaxed his shoulders.

"You with me?" she asked calmly. Shawn reached up to hold onto the hand that gently touched his cheek. His eyes scanned hers, then rested on the dried blood in her hair and down the side of her face.

"How did you get that?" he asked quietly, his fingers hovering over the small slice on her temple.

Juliet let out a deep sigh. "Shovel."

Shawn looked past Juliet and finally took in their surroundings. The room they were in was dark and bare, besides a few tools on a workbench on the far side of the room. There was a small metal door to the left, but there weren't any windows on the dirt walls. The floor was made of rotten wood and stale dirt, lit up by a dim, flickering light that hung in the middle of the room with a long cord swinging from it. However, the most disturbing aspect of the small room were the two over-sized cages, one of which he and Juliet currently occupied.

"A shovel?" he asked apprehensively.

Juliet nodded. "Well, that's what Adam told me. He saw whoever did this dragging it in with us."

Shawn squinted in the dim lighting and noticed that the cage on the other side of the room also contained an occupant; a dark haired man who looked to be in his early 30s. He wrapped a hand around one of the bars and nodded solemnly. Shawn turned back to Juliet, watching as she licked her lips.

"He was hiking along the path when he stopped to rest for a few minutes." Her voice was low and Shawn noticed a hint of guilt in it.

He turned his attention to Adam, who nodded again. "Next thing I knew," he said, his voice rough and shaky, "I was here."

"Adam, what day did you leave to go hiking?" Juliet asked, slightly hesitant. Shawn squinted up at her, still a little unfocused, but noticed she was biting her bottom lip.

Adam thought for a moment, his nose scrunched. "I'm not sure, exactly. What's today? I think it was Tuesday-no, it was _definitely_ Tuesday, because I had been at my sister's place the night before. We always have dinner together on Mondays."

_Defeated_. That was the only way Shawn could describe Juliet's now hunched frame, though he wasn't quite sure why just yet.

Backing up she turned to him. "You were right about Dorland, Shawn," she said with a weary sigh, sitting down next to him and resting against the back of the cage.

And at that moment, Shawn was positive that being right wasn't exactly a _good_ thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to those who are reading. I hope you're enjoying the story.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

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**Chapter 3**

Dawn was finally beginning to break, lighting the sky with pink and yellow rays that sent new hope, along with renewed fear, through Shawn's veins. The light meant better sight, his strength. If he could see where he was, if he could find something familiar maybe he could get them home safe. But the light meant better sight, their weakness. If that half-crazed mountaineer was following them, he could easily spot them. And if he had gotten the upper hand once before there was no telling whether or not he could get it again.

Shawn noticed Juliet walking a little faster now despite the fact that her shoes were broken and uneven after she had snapped off the heels back at their mountain-side prison. He also noticed how she was still cradling her right hand close to her chest. And though she was doing her best to keep it out of sight, Shawn saw the swelling and the light bruising around her thumb.

"When did you dislocate your thumb?" he asked quietly, picking up his pace to match hers.

Juliet's head snapped in his direction with surprise. "What?" she asked.

Shawn nodded towards her hand. "Your thumb. When did you dislocate it?"

She faltered a little, kept her eyes on the forest floor. "When we were getting out. I-I hit it on the door."

"You did it before that, Jules. I tried to grab your right hand when we started running. You made a face like you were in pain and grabbed me with your left."

A few moments of silence passed, each other's heavy breathing, as well as crunching leaves and twigs under their feet the only sounds they could hear. Shawn knew what had really happened, but he still waited for Juliet to give him an answer.

She took a deep breath. "I dislocated it in the cage. My hand wouldn't fit through the bars to get the lock."

"Juliet-"

"Don't, Shawn! I got us out, I did what I had to do."

Another few minutes passed before Shawn slid his hand into Juliet's, squeezing lightly.

"I know Jules."

**-ooo-**

Shawn paced.

The cage was high enough for him to stand upright without a problem, so he walked the small perimeter in quiet concentration. Three paces up, four paces over, stepping across Juliet's outstretched legs where she sat with her back against the bars. His head throbbed, his vision blurred slightly, but he couldn't keep his mind off the puzzle it had to piece together.

"Shawn?" Juliet reached out and brushed his leg as he stepped over her, but he ignored the touch and continued to walk around the cage. "Shawn, why don't you sit down and let me look at your head? That cut's still bleeding," she said. Shawn absently reached up and touched the wetness slowly oozing down the side of his cheek but didn't slow his movement.

"I'm all right."

"I don't want it to-"

Shawn stopped pacing and cut her off with a glare. "What, get infected? Unless you plan on licking it clean, Juliet, there's nothing you can do." The words rolled off his tongue before he could stop them and, annoyed as he was, he immediately regretted snapping at her when she dropped her gaze from his and nodded.

"I'm sorry Jules, I just can't sit down right now," he added softly.

"It's fine," Juliet answered shortly as she wiped a dirt-streaked hand across her cheek.

Shawn sighed and resumed his pacing a little more calmly than before. He glanced at Adam's sleeping form in the opposite cage and swallowed hard, silently cursing his "gift" as he took in the man's haggard appearance. He laid curled on his side, backed into the corner of his prison, wheezing softly. Face pale and bloody, his skin barely visible through the dark grime encrusted over it, Shawn could make out dark circles that had bloomed under his light eyes, pinched together even in sleep.

"If it helps," Shawn said quietly, breaking his eyes away from Adam, "the spirits and I've worked out what really happened to those hikers. For the most part, anyway."

Juliet perked up a little when he said this. "What have you got?" she asked, clearly interested.

"Well," Shawn began, "the trail veers in two different directions." He pointed to his sides. "The spirits and I are assuming the two dead hikers and our other occupant took the path to the right when they hit the fork. The first hiker, Rogers, and Adam, were both knocked out cold and brought back to this place immediately."

Juliet frowned. "But what about the drag marks from the main trail and the bloody knife?" she asked, making sure to keep her voice down as she stole a glance at Adam.

"Okay," Shawn continued, and his pacing quickened. "Remember Ramirez, the second hiker you found?" Juliet nodded so Shawn went on. "He probably dodged the first attack and tried to defend himself with his pocket knife. Which would explain that wound on his shoulder and the blood on the knife."

Juliet stood up, suddenly excited, and started pacing alongside Shawn. "He tried to run away and get help."

Shawn gave her a quick nod. "He would remember seeing Dorland's house on the way up the trail," he said. He watched Juliet's face, her eyes intent on something unseen.

"But he was losing blood from the wound." Juliet put her hand on her shoulder, her forehead creasing in concentration.

Her voice shook Shawn from his observation. "Crazy caught up with him, knocked him out and dragged him off," he hissed, stopping to face her.

"Which would explain the marks in the dirt leading back _towards_ the trail!" Juliet hissed back, her eyes widening in realization. "Oh God," she added, leaning against the rusty bars of their prison.

"Juliet?" Shawn watched her slide to the floor. He dove next to her and grabbed her, eyes on the bright red trail of blood dripping down her head. It stood out even more against her pale skin.

"He's next," she whispered, her gaze resting on their sleeping roommate. "And there's not much time left." She raked trembling fingers through her dirty hair. "He left Tuesday. Which means he was probably brought here sometime that afternoon."

Shawn raised his eyebrows when she stopped talking and began frantically digging around the cage. She was mumbling something he couldn't understand as she rolled around to her knees and pulled on the thick bars, pounding her fists against them when they didn't move.

"Jules, what the hell?" Shawn cried. Falling next to her, he grabbed her cold, trembling hands. "Hey, calm down! What's wrong?"

She let out a breath. "It's Thursday, Shawn! Or at least I think it's still Thursday. I mean, it _has_ to still be Thursday, there's no other way to explain it." Rambling on, Juliet continued to passionately dig until Shawn dragged her up by her upper arms.

"Make sense, Jules. Please," he whispered harshly, his eyes boring into hers as they searched for sanity.

With a audible gulp, Juliet tried to calm herself and averted her gaze from his. "The other hikers died within two days. No food, no water, for two days before someone slit their throats. It's _Thursday_, Shawn."

Realization hit Shawn like a speeding bus; Adam was due to die today. Juliet began to grow frantic again. Her eyes darted around the cage and she still refused to make eye contact as Shawn tried to shush her, to tell her it was all right.

"We'll find a way out of here, Jules. I promise." But Juliet continued to shake her head.

"We need to get Adam out of here, right now, _out of here_!" she whispered harshly, then broke free from Shawn's hold and went back to her frenzied digging.

Shawn bit back a frustrated cry as he watched Juliet helplessly claw through the dirt. "Okay, okay," he said, turning his focus to the bars in front of him. He ran his fingers over the rusty metal and tugged hard, but the bars were sturdy. A closer inspection revealed no cracks or dents, no weakness in the metal, so with one more hopeless pull, he changed tactics. With narrowed eyes, he knelt on the ground and brushed some dirt aside at the base of the cage, searching for something because there had to be _something_. Mindlessly picking at the wooden frame the metal bars were fused to, his thoughts began to wander when the _something _he was looking for caught his eye.

A crack in the rotten wood.

Closer now, his nose barely above the filthy ground, he could see something glinting underneath. He wiped more dirt aside, working to the middle of the cage before he came to a conclusion.

"Hey Jules, I think there's something under the wood. Something metal, come look at this," Shawn said softly, still brushing the dirt with his hand. It looked a little rusted, but he was positive it wasn't just dirt under the wood. Looking up to see if Juliet had heard him, he saw she had her hand through the bars and she was working furiously at the lock with what looked like a pin. Shawn stood and walked next to her.

"Jules," he said slowly, "what did you do?"

Juliet's mouth was firm as she picked at the lock on the door, and she didn't make eye contact with Shawn. "I grew up with brothers," she said simply.

Taking a step closer, Shawn repeated, "Juliet, whatdid you _do_?"

"And when you grow up with brothers," she continued, a small smile parting her lips when the lock gave a triumphant _click_, "you learn a thing or two."


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 4**

Daylight slowed them.

The light from the sun was useful, and part of Shawn's mind recognized that; he knew they would be able to navigate better in the light. But his stomach twisted, fear bubbled acid in his throat because he and Juliet were no longer protected by the shadows. The sun was now a giant, burning spotlight that exposed them to unwanted eyes.

They were being followed, tailed, _watched_. Shawn couldn't shake the feeling.

"You're thinking it too, aren't you?" Juliet said quietly. Another twig snapped beneath her feet, the sound amplified and echoing for the _entire forest_ to hear.

"I don't know, Jules," Shawn answered, a quick glance over his shoulder.

A few moments of silence passed before Juliet continued. "Maybe he's just waiting for the right time or something. Maybe it's just a sick game he's playing."

Shawn shook his head. "I don't think it's a game. Dude's a complete psychopath. The way he kept repeating that phrase-"

"Stop!" Juliet shouted so loudly that a few birds cried as they flew from their perches in the trees. She threw her hand in front of Shawn's face and closed her eyes tightly. "Just..._don't_ say it."

Shawn licked his lips. "Jules," he said softly. "I won't."

They continued walking in silence with the threat of death still lurking somewhere behind them. He could feel Juliet's fear as much as he could feel his own. Every brush of leaves against his skin, every twitch of a tree branch in the breeze, every squirrel that scurried past them was enough to make Shawn's skin crawl.

It was enough to make them walk faster.

**-ooo-**

The hum of a generator somewhere near drowned out the clinking of Juliet's hair pin as she picked away at Adam's lock with a look of deep concentration etched into the frown lines on her face. Shawn tried not to hover, but he was anxious. Adam continued to sleep through the noise and it worried him; the young man's face looked even more pale up close.

Seconds ticked away to minutes, and minutes were time they couldn't spare.

"How's it coming?" Shawn asked quietly, unnerved by the frustrated groans coming from Juliet's mouth.

"This lock is different than ours was," she answered, annoyed. "I can't find the right spot."

Shawn bit his lower lip. "Gus would be useful right about now," he said through a small laugh. "He's the master at this kinda thing."

Another minute of silence mingled with the excessive jingling of the iron lock, making the room pulse with fear. Worry settled in Shawn's stomach, so he decided to distract himself by heading across the floor to the work bench he had seen earlier. There were a few tools laid haphazardly along the top, though nothing that would help them break open the cage. Pacing seemed like a good idea now, but when Shawn turned to move, his foot tapped something hard. He bent down and lifted the wooden handle of a large shovel with dried blood speckled on the metal.

"I think I found the shovel," Shawn muttered coldly, locking eyes with Juliet. She shivered.

Then Shawn got an idea. "Hey Jules, what about breaking the lock off with the shovel?" he asked excitedly. "If we hit it hard enough-"

Juliet cut him off. "If we hit it hard enough, it'll attract attention," she snapped. "So far whoever did this hasn't come back and I'd like to keep it that way as long as possible."

"Okay," Shawn said dejectedly, but pressed on. "And how is the lock picking going?"

"Shawn, this isn't the time to play games."

"I'm not playing a game, Juliet, I know how serious this is!"

Juliet whirled around and pushed two fingers hard into Shawn's chest, making him lose his footing and fall back a few steps. "We will open this lock without making a big production, and we'll figure out where to go from there. Understood?"

Eyes burning, she stared hard into his face. Shawn knew it was the best plan but he couldn't stop the uneasy feeling that boiled hot through the pit of his stomach.

"Did you guys hear that?"

The pair stopped their squabbling and noticed Adam had woken and was now listening intently to something with his ear pressed against the floor of his tiny prison.

"That noise, like a click. Something's moving," he added, his eyebrows now woven together in a thick line above his eyes.

Juliet stuck out her chin and shrugged. "I don't hear it," she said in confusion when Shawn grabbed her arm.

"Jules," he whispered, eyes darting wildly back and forth. Something rumbled low beneath their feet and began to shake the room. A screwdriver rolled off the workbench and into the heel of Shawn's sneaker as he tightened his hold on Juliet's arm.

Suddenly there was a loud _clunk_ and a shrill cry exploded from Adam's mouth when the floor of his cage fell open and swallowed him whole. With a shocked gasp, Juliet lurched forward, but Shawn pulled her back hard and wrapped his free arm around her neck, clamping his hand over her mouth. A minute later, the shaking stopped. Besides their heavy breathing, they both stood silent.

A moment passed before Adam's weak voice came up through the deep hole. "Guys?"

Juliet whimpered, but Shawn refused to loosen his grip.

"Guys, I don't-" Adam said louder. "Hello?"

Light flooded in through the hole in the ground then, illuminating the dingy room where Shawn stood with Juliet's back against his chest.

"Wha-whaddayou want?" Adam's voice shook violently, twisting the inside of Shawn's gut.

Juliet struggled against his hold on her but he shook his head, leaning closer until his lips brushed her ear. "Don't make a sound," he whispered, his voice hitching slightly as he tried to steady his hand over her mouth. He could feel her shaking and knew she wanted to pull away. "Please," he added desperately. Juliet, still tense, nodded.

A new voice, harsh and grating, drifted up and flooded the room now. "Who sent you?" it growled. Shawn's breathing quickened.

"Who sent-? What are you talking about?" Adam's voice raised higher with each word.

With more force the man asked again, "Who sent you?"

Shawn felt Juliet take a deep breath and gulp fearfully. He didn't let his grip waver.

"Dude, I don't know what you're talking about, but nobody sent me! I was hiking! I hike on my days off!" Adam cried. "Wait, what are you-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Juliet sucked in a sharp breath and wriggled violently while Shawn continued to hold on.

"Who _sent_ you?" the low voice asked again in a venomous tone.

"Nobody! Nobody, I swear! STOP! NO! PLEASE! GOD PLEASE!"

Soon Adam's voice was only a low gurgle and the light faded back into an orange glow as Shawn was left standing in the middle of the dark room with Juliet's hot tears rolling down his fingers.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Do you hear that?"

Hot rays of sunlight burned Shawn's skin as he stood and listened to what he hoped was the gushing sound of freedom. Sweat dripped slowly down his back from the heat and the excitement of having possibly found their way home.

"Hear what?" Juliet scrunched her nose, wrinkling her forehead in confusion.

He took her uninjured hand and pulled her quickly along. "This way. I think I know where we are."

They pushed past a few trees, angering a pair of squirrels who were fighting over a large acorn. The sound grew louder with each step. Shawn saw Juliet's face light up when they reached their destination.

"Oh God, water," she cried, falling to her knees beside a small flowing river. She dipped her shaky hands into the water and drank greedily. Shawn took a deep breath and did the same.

"My dad took me camping here years ago. I'm pretty sure I can get us to the land of normal," Shawn said, hopeful. Juliet threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she breathed.

Shawn opened his mouth whisper reassurance when his blood turned to ice inside his veins.

"Who _sent you_?"

**-ooo-**

Two hours after Adam's death, Shawn and Juliet still hadn't said a word to each other. Shawn was counting each minute in silence, his head swimming with the loud buzz of the generator in his ears. Everything around them seemed to vibrate with that sound. Juliet sat over by the workbench with her knees drawn up to her chest, tear streaks visible on her face which made the lump in Shawn's throat grow bigger.

Even with Adam's death hanging over him, Shawn couldn't help but try and piece together more of the puzzle. Their surroundings began to make him believe they were in some kind of bomb shelter, but he wasn't sure why the walls were so bare. Small hooks in them where shelves used to be as well as empty crates stacked underneath the workbench fueled this theory. What Shawn couldn't understand was why their captor had converted it into a death chamber. He obviously believed someone was out to get him, which made Shawn shudder as he recalled those haunting words the man had said. Whether he was scared for his life or simply a psychotic maniac, one thing was certain to Shawn: They had to get out of there.

Ideas started to take shape in his mind, each one growing bigger and more elaborate than the next. Trying to sort through them gave Shawn a headache, so he knew he had to get Juliet's help with figuring out a way to break free from their prison.

"Jules, we need to do something," he stated loudly, walking over to sit beside Juliet.

She was quiet, breathing heavily while Shawn stared closely at her grimy face. With a loud sniffle, she slowly lifted her head to look at him. "I know," she said fiercely.

There was a spark in her eyes that gave Shawn hope. "What did you have in mind, Detective?"

**-ooo-**

Their plan was simple: Let the killer open the door, then bash his head in with the shovel. It made perfect sense to both captives because if they rendered the man unconscious, it was their best chance of escape. Once they made it out the door, they could find civilization or possibly figure out where they were.

So they hid behind the door and waited.

Time seemed to drag slowly as neither of them knew how long it would be before the killer came to find why they hadn't fallen through his trap door. There were no clocks or watches; they just had to wait for the dreaded _click_.

"I'm never going to eat at a mid-western restaurant again," Shawn said matter-of-factly, breaking the tense silence.

Juliet frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"This place has that mid-western-hillbilly feel to it, don't you think? I'll be reminded every time I bite into peppercorn-encrusted anything," Shawn answered.

"Everything is food with you, do you know that?" Juliet said, smiling for the first time since they were captured.

Shawn returned her smile. "It's the breath of life, Jules. When we get out of here, I'm taking you to a nice restaurant. You can order whatever you want, it'll be my treat."

Juliet snorted and shook her head. "Just a few days ago you stuck me with your lunch bill."

"I was a few dollars short."

"It was a drive through. Two dollars and some change."

Shawn sighed. "Yes, but that was before I found one of Gus' credit cards in his desk drawer." He grinned again.

"The one he keeps locked at all times?" Juliet asked, raising her eyebrows. "With the sign that says 'Do not touch. I will kill you, Shawn'?"

Shawn shrugged. "I find that to be more of a suggestion. Besides, I had duplicate keys made. How am I supposed to help Gus in an emergency if I don't have all his keys?"

Juliet pursed her lips and closed her eyes, laughing a little and renewing Shawn's hope that they would make it out of there alive. Before he could continue, they heard the quiet _click_ they had been waiting for. The floor to their cage dropped down into a black hole and they both turned to each other, taking deep breaths.

"Time to get out of here," Juliet whispered darkly. Shawn squeezed her arm and nodded.

Light flooded up through the hole in the ground like it had just before Adam's death. It was eerily quiet for a moment before the door quickly slammed shut and returned the hole to darkness.

Tension built with each passing second. Shawn held his breath, feeling the sweat drip down the side of his head as they heard footsteps approaching on the other side of the door.

_The rattle of a chain being undone._

_The clang of a chain being dropped to the ground._

_The slow turn of the lock on the cold metal door._

A man stepped into the room with a look of panic in his dirty, red-rimmed eyes, his tall frame shaking from head to toe. His heavy breathing hitched at the sight of the empty cage. Panicked, he ran a hand through his long, dark dirt-encrusted hair and mumbled, "Who sent them? Who sent them?" under his breath.

Juliet tip-toed behind their tall captor. With a deep breath, Shawn screamed "NOW!" The killer whirled around in wide-eyed shock at Shawn as Juliet swung back and bashed the shovel into the man's head. He stumbled to the ground with a pained groan and fell face first into the dirt. Shawn tried to grab Juliet's hand, but she cringed and dropped the shovel, grabbing him with her other hand.

"COME ON, JULES!" Shawn bellowed, pulling her through the door.

"The door!" Juliet yelled, but Shawn kept his hold on her.

"No time, we need to leave!" He pulled her up the long hallway, climbing through the last open door into the night air.

They ran, and neither of them looked back.


	6. Chapter 6

This is the end, friends. Thank you for all your support, and thank you to everyone who read/reviewed. I hope you've enjoyed the ride. I know it's really awesome to share this story after such a long time. You guys made it totally worth it.

In response to an anonymous review I received, thank you for your support. I'm very thankful you took the time to review, but don't feel bad about the review count. I have an awesome read count, and I'm thankful to anyone who took the time to read this story. Reviews are wonderful, and I appreciate every last one, but I'm happy with the few I have :) You're an awesome reviewer, though, and your comments mean the world to me.

Anyway, I hope the end is satisfying enough for you all :)

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Who sent you?"

The bearded man wiped his hands on his dirt-encrusted overalls, licking his lips in a crazed sort of hunger as he took a few steps towards Shawn and Juliet. The pair slowly took steps back in an effort to keep the distance between them and the killer they were now face-to-face with. Shawn reached out to push Juliet behind him but the blond detective refused to leave his side. She stood stiffly, hunched slightly as if she were ready to pounce.

"Look man," Shawn began, looking the gruff mountaineer in the eye to hopefully show his sincerity. "We weren't sent by anybody. We're just two friends who went for a walk. Completely innocent."

The man put his hand into his pocket, cracking his neck in the process. Shawn flinched.

"Who," he snarled, pulling Juliet's badge from his pocket and thrusting it in their faces, "sent you?"

Juliet spoke up this time. "Yes, I'm a detective, but nobody sent us. Sir, nobody sent us." Her voice was pleading. "We were just following some evidence in one of my investigations, neither of us was sent by anyone."

Every word seemed to aggravate their former captor to the point where his face finally turned a deep shade of red. "WHO. SENT. YOU?" he screamed. He reached into his other pocket and ripped a knife out of it, tearing through his overalls in the process. Juliet pulled in a sharp breath as he started to walk faster towards them.

"He's nuts, Jules, RUN!" Shawn yelled, pushing Juliet in the direction of the trees. They took off in opposite directions, the killer looking quickly from one to the other, unsure of who to run after first. Shawn decided to make the choice easier for him.

"Hey psycho, it was the United States government!"

The man's eyes suddenly bulged and the cry that erupted from his lips made Shawn's heart pound even harder than it already was.

He ran faster.

The mountaineer chased after him, grunting and growling from behind. The knife was high above his head in anticipation of slashing down upon its intended victim. Shawn zig-zagged, trying to throw the bigger man off. In the dense forest, it wasn't too much of a stretch.

Shawn was leading the man in a circle; he didn't want to lose sight of the river, his and Juliet's only hope of salvation. With the water back in sight, he ducked behind a particularly large tree and crouched down behind the wall of raised roots and leaves. Armed with a heavy rock, Shawn waited.

Slow footsteps and gasping breaths approached.

_Crunch. Crunch. Snap._

Each sound sent a wave of panic through Shawn's body, making him feel extremely lightheaded.

_Closer_.

_Closer_.

He jumped up when the knife was in view and struck the man at the base of his neck, bringing him to his knees. But he lashed out, the knife catching on Shawn's elbow.

"Son of a bitch!" Shawn bellowed, stumbling back in to the clearing as he clutched his bloody arm. The killer didn't miss a beat; he staggered right after Shawn, knife raised again.

Shawn stepped back, almost losing his balance when his foot splashed in shallow water. His breath quickened as his fear grew.

"Come on, man," he tried to reason, though he knew it was pointless. The man grinned a terrifying grin and pulled the knife up higher.

Shawn was about to close his eyes when Juliet came out of nowhere and, with a loud shriek, crammed a large shard of rock into the lunatic's neck. He wailed, grasping his neck as the blood trickled down his fingers. Juliet ran forward to grab the knife off the ground, coming up fast and, with another cry, plunged it into his chest.

The man looked at her, stunned, before falling gracefully forward into the river.

Shawn blinked slowly at the red blood that flowed downstream. The killer's eyes stared at him, still open, still wide.

"Jules," Shawn whispered. He couldn't look away.

Juliet was next to him, pulling him away and turning his head to look at her own face.

"It's over," she said softly. "Okay? It's over."

As police dogs barked in the distance, Shawn threw his good arm around Juliet and pulled her close. She wrapped her own around him, and the two stood silently in each other's embrace while streams of red blood swirled around their feet.

_It's over._


End file.
